Walls, above all those used in landscape architecture, are preferably made from natural or artificial stone blocks which, on their visible side, are provided with an irregular relief surface structure and/or broken edges, such as those created, for example, by manual hewing of natural stone blocks.
It is also known in this context to employ split stone blocks, preferably made of concrete. Here, raw stone blocks obtained from stone-block production can be fed in layers to a splitting device in which the raw stone blocks are preferably divided in half. The split stone blocks created in this fashion are often referred to as split blocks. As a result of the dividing process, such split blocks have an irregular relief surface structure on the side on which they have been broken. DE 22 06 732 discloses a method and a device for splitting raw blocks of artificial stone. Furthermore, DE 33 32 041 A1 and DE 33 47 077 A1 disclose devices for manufacturing embossed split blocks.
It is frequently demanded of the split blocks, both when made of concrete and when in the form of split natural stone blocks, that they should have no sharp edges. Independent of this, a further treatment of the broken structure is also frequently requested. To this end, devices for the aging of stone blocks are known from the general prior art. In this context, reference is made, for example, to EP 1 699 609 B1. Beyond this, a multiplicity of further methods for the aging of stone blocks are known from the general prior art.
In the aging of stone blocks, in particular where split blocks are concerned, the problem arises that the face of the stone block which is to be machined, i.e. typically the visible side of the stone block at a later stage, does not form the upper side of the stone block after exiting production. In the case of what are referred to as split blocks, this is a result of said split blocks typically being formed from one raw stone block or block in that said block is divided into two halves. Such splitting methods are adequately known from the general prior art, e.g. from DE 22 06 732. Splitting of the raw block into two split blocks has the effect that the split faces of the stone blocks created are arranged on the sides and are oriented toward one another.
For machining the face created by splitting or in order to machine stone blocks in general in which the face to be machined is oriented toward the side, two different methods are known. One possibility consists in using aging methods which enable machining of the sides of stone blocks by means of corresponding machining tools. Such methods, however, are complex and not efficient. To this end it is known, for example, to fasten chain beaters which beat the side face of the stone block to a rotating roller. In the case of split blocks, the stone blocks having the broken faces which are oriented toward one another have first to be spatially separated from one another to the extent that the machining tools are in a position to engage in the first place. The second possibility for further processing or aging side faces of stone blocks consists in that the latter are raised by means of corresponding gripping tools and lowered, such that the face to be machined forms the upper side of the stone block.
Raising and re-lowering of stone blocks has the disadvantage that it is expensive, prone to disruptions and time-consuming. On the other hand, however, this does allow the employment of effective and known aging methods which act upon the surface of stone blocks. A multiplicity of aging methods which act upon the surface of the stone blocks are known from the general prior art. A particularly suitable method is derived from EP 1 699 609 B1.
Stone blocks which are machined on one side face that, in the constructed or laid state of the stone block, runs at an angle of 90° in relation to the upper side of the stone block are not necessarily split blocks. It may be advantageous in the case of other stone blocks in which a side face later forms the visible face to age this, too. Here the problem also consists in that the sideways oriented side of the stone block, which at a later stage forms the visible side of the stone block, is not identical with the upper side of the stone block and, therefore, cannot be aged as effectively as is possible in the case of the upper side of the stone block.